Flat Rock man carries cross to spread word

Rodney Summerford, of Flat Rock, Ala., walks along Meighan Boulevard while carrying a cross, Friday, June 21, 2013, in Gadsden, Ala. Summerford said he visits different towns in the area and walks along the major highways.

<p>A Flat Rock man strives every day to be more and more like Christ, and he has taken to the streets to show his dedication.</p><p>Rodney Summerford, 52, walked up and down Meighan Boulevard about high noon Friday, dressed in a flowing, white garment and prayer cloth, carrying a cross adorned with pictures of Jesus.</p><p>He said his goal was to spread the Gospel to anyone who would listen, and help those who had not yet found Jesus.</p><p>“If people let me, I'll lead them to the Lord,” Summerford said. “That's what (carrying the cross) is about — salvation and being obedient to the Lord.”</p><p>Summerford wasn't always as dedicated to spreading God's Word as he is now. </p><p>He said he once abused drugs and alcohol, and his poor choices led him to the Bibb County Correctional Facility.</p><p>During his second trip to prison, he was born again. </p><p>He said he's turned his life around and has no desire to go back to the life he lived before.</p><p>Summerford said he felt called to carry the cross three years ago and has made 97 walks throughout Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.</p><p>His garments, the robe and prayer cloth, were donated by his sister and a Baptist church. </p><p>The prayer cloth has the Lord's Prayer written on it, in both English and Hebrew.</p><p>Summerford said some people are rude and curse at him, but he just stops and says a prayer for them, making sure not to let it get to him.</p><p>Most people, however, are very supportive and praise his walks as the sun beats down both him and the hot pavement. </p><p>One man at the Shell station on West Meighan Boulevard got out of his car, ran up and hugged him.</p><p>He was in Albertville on Thursday, and said the people there were especially kind to him. </p><p>They offered him money for food, bottled water and heaped “thank yous” on him as he walked.</p><p>“I felt pretty welcome there (Thursday),” Summerford said. </p><p>“I just do it to glorify God and get people to turn to him.”</p><p>As for the future, Summerford plans to travel to as many different places as he can. </p><p>He said he doesn't believe he should be the only one who does this, and that everyone should have his or her own cross.</p><p>He's a truck driver, and his boss has allowed him to take as much time off as he needs from his job to spread the Word.</p>